Can you help me look less ugly in Teams calls?

[WaterWall22]

In real life I'm a pretty average looking middle-aged woman. Lots of my work is on Teams as I work for large national company.
Few times now when I've met people first time in person they've said something along the lines of: 'You look nice?!' in a really surprised way. One woman actually said 'gosh, you look so much nicer and younger in person!'
I've always thought myself that I do look terrible on Teams, but others clearly think so too!
So what do you do to look nice on Teams? I have to wear a headset due to confidentiality so hair is always flat which doesn't help..

Feel like I am expert on this!
Good lighting (play around with lamps in different positions)
hair down (I look less like an egg)
lipstick (pref a bit darker to make lips pop)
Either chunky earrings or a collar or a necklace makes you look like you have made an effort
Nice glasses also hide a multitude of sins.
And of course the blur filter!!

I wouldn't be without the blur filter. I put it up to about 75%!

I find teams makes me look older than I am and I use zoom a lot in my other job and don't look as bad in that. It defo does something odd to people teams

I’m so vain I use the inbuilt filter on Teams / Zoom for when I’ve just rushed back from walking the dog and haven’t got any makeup on 😂 but a bit of eyebrow pencil does wonders on it. The tech makes me look like I don’t have any eyebrows

also a plan block colour top in a dark colour, with a fairly high neck world better with the background light in my room.

Lipstick is a must. I keep one in my desk drawer to apply before the meeting starts

I thought it was only me who worried I look crap

Thank you all, will definitely try the blur filter! I got a ring light but I think it makes me look even rougher...

How do you do that? I hate that I see me on a big picture at the bottom.

Ah. Sounds like the "Make me look prettier" filter option I discovered in Zoom during the pandemic. Loved that.

As pp have mentioned, there is a filter on Teams. Another trick I've heard of is to put a piece of sellotape over the camera - it blurs you like a filter.

I look awful on Teams. I don't look that much better in person but I'd rather look better in person than the other way round, so I don't bother with filters.

Look on the bright side OP, I'm the other way around - I look bloody great on Teams/Zoom. Just a touch on the filter slider, but otherwise the webcam is above the monitor angled down (makes for a better jawline) add a bit of powder foundation to take off shine/redness and tinted lip balm, a toss of the hair and I look proper poised.

I reality I have 6 chins and a puffy face (full makeup or otherwise), and my lips and eyes disappear when I laugh. 😳

Better that way around surely?

I look better on teams than real life and can’t really put a blur on my face or walk around with a ring light on my head 😂

Sounds daft OP but do try the sellotape over camera lens too, couple of layers and better than the blur.

It’s all about the lighting OP! But to be honest everyone looks terrible on teams/zoom

Have the light behind you and your camera slightly high.

Ahh, I have some tips.Try pulling some of your hair back and up.. lifts your chin
Heavy foundation.. noone can see the cake on teams
Move your camera further away for calls
Lighting.. buy a halo light from amazon that they use for social media<

Lighting is a big factor. Certain lights makes my eyes look sunken!

Turn the filter on.

I can't really help except my new employer has webcams on the screens in the office and somehow I look photoshopped on screen, seriously it's unbelievable.

Maybe it's not new clothes etc but get a decent webcam 😉

I face the window to get some natural light on my face (supposed to be the most flattering). It's softer than a ringlight and also prevents backlighting/putting your face in shadow. I also use a teeny tiny bit of the soft focus that comes with Teams.

Wear a balaclava.

Where is this blur filter of which you speak? I blur my background - is that the same thing?

Lots of good advice here. Decent camera (although my crap camera on my lap top is more flattering) good light, angle so that you’re looking up slightly, decent background, a bit of make up, soft focus on.

Sometimes I like to turn up soft focus to the max and then slide it slowly back down whilst watching my face grow older and more haggard on screen like something out of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

@SirChenjins its the soft focus button - you can turn it on and then adjust

🤣